Steve Godfrey artist

Charcoal

Charcoal drawing has been a fairly recent acquisition for me. I have used pencil for most of my life, having dismissed the prehistoric burned stick long ago in my youth.

A local exhibition re-inspired my interest and I found myself becoming fascinated by this very simple medium.

Experiments with different types of paper and various implements for shifting the dusty marks around have stimulated my creative juices. Now when I take a break from the smell and sheer mess of oil paint I like nothing better than the dust and smudge of charcoal.

It is the rich glorious black I find so appealing and its contrast with the pristine white of the paper. It can be frustrating managing all that black powder but with practice I began to enjoy all the stray smudges that seem to give the sketch appeal and character.